Spanish club footballers suspected of cocaine trafficking

Madrid, Feb 27 (DPA) Two football agents and three current or former players with Spanish clubs are being investigated on charges of cocaine trafficking, police said. Police detained 11 people in Madrid, Valencia and Alicante after seizing 600 kilograms of cocaine.

The ring was believed to have been headed by a Frenchman of Serbian origin, who had a FIFA licence to seek footballers for clubs.

The man allegedly used his travels to Latin America to coordinate drug smuggling operations.

The suspects also included another football agent, a player with second division club Rayo Vallecano and former players with Hercules de Alicante and Athletic Bilbao.

The drug haul seized by police had been hidden inside a container arriving from Argentina to the port of Algeciras, from where it was taken to Madrid.

Spain is regarded as the main gateway of Latin American cocaine into Europe.